35 Years to Life for Murder of Natalie Thurber
Today, a Third District Court judge sentenced Micheal Tyson Nance to a prison term of 35 years to life for the February 10, 2020 murder of his girlfriend, Natalie Thurber, and the attempted murder of a Salt Lake City police officer.
Mr. Nance pleaded guilty on May 9, 2023 to first-degree felony aggravated murder, first-degree felony attempted aggravated murder, and first-degree felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury. The Court ordered the sentences to run consecutively.
On February 10, 2020, Ms. Thurber and Mr. Nance were in an argument. When Ms. Thurber tried to leave their home, Mr. Nance stood in front of the exit and threatened her with a knife. Ms. Thurber called 911 and left the line open. She also managed to text a friend to call 911. An officer arrived at the home and saw Mr. Nance strangling Ms. Thurber. The officer announced himself and Mr. Nance let go of Ms. Thurber.
However, as the officer turned to speak into his radio, he heard Mr. Nance fatally shoot Ms. Thurber. Mr. Nance admitted that he then started firing his gun at police to kill one of the officers. During the gunfire, a bullet fired by Mr. Nance struck one officer in the leg, causing serious bodily injury.
During the sentencing, the defendant addressed the victim’s family and apologized for his actions. Also, during the hearing, both the victim’s mother and sister spoke about forgiveness for the defendant.
“Our office continues to mourn the death of Natalie Thurber. This was one of the most violent and callous actions committed by a defendant prosecuted by our office. The next 35 years are a minimum to the punishment his conduct deserves,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “We would like to acknowledge the hard work of our lead prosecutors Josh Graves and Chris Alberico on this case, as well as their support staff. We also want to commend the efforts of the responding officers who risked their lives attempting to come to the aid of Ms. Thurber.”